Welcome to the Sensory Ecology and Evolution group!

We study animal coloration and vision in a wide range of animals, including birds, reptiles, crabs, insects, primates, and even humans. Much of our work focuses on protective coloration, such as camouflage, warning signals, and mimicry, but we also work on other subjects, including several projects testing how an understanding of animal vision can be used to aid animal welfare, safety, and performance. Our work takes place in both the lab and field, in the UK and around the world.

Ultimately, our key aims are to understand how visual information guides behaviour, and how diversity in animal coloration results from key evolutionary processes, animal visual systems, and characteristics of the environment (including climate change and human impacts). We also study how differences in animal vision have an impact in human-contexts, such as animal sports and farming.

We are based in Cornwall at the Penryn Campus of Exeter University, near Falmouth, and work with a range of collaborators worldwide. We are also passionate about public engagement, outreach, and science communication.

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Play our new online crab-hunting game here: Click here to play Green shore crabs are one of the most common crab species found in rock pools around the UK, and are a highly invasive species around the world. The appearance of juvenile crabs varies considerably, and they can even alter their appearance to match […]